


Six Times the Mechanisms Found Out The Toy Soldier Was a Nymph

by We_deserve_rainbows



Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Alcohol, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Sex Work, Nothing explicit, Other, Protectiveness, Reunions, i know there are implications of ts being a nymph but please let me have this i need this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26783557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/We_deserve_rainbows/pseuds/We_deserve_rainbows
Summary: Or: The Mechanisms are protective and fluffy over the Toy Soldier for 7k words.
Relationships: The Mechanisms Ensemble/The Mechanisms Ensemble, The Toy Soldier & The Mechanisms
Comments: 18
Kudos: 145
Collections: The Toy Soldier Has Rights





	1. Marius von Raum

Marius was having an _amazing_ time playing therapist for the Olympians. His favorite patient, however, was Dionysus. He was actually making progress with most of his other patients, but with Dionysus, it was always ‘Doctor are you sure my hubris is why I feel a sense of impending downfall? No, it must be something else.’ Maris found it fascinating.

This particular day, Marius was ushering Dionysus into his office and they were exchanging the usual pleasantries. 

“How have you been?” Marius asked. 

“I’ve been okay Doctor, a strange new Nymph has come into my possession,” Dionysus said, gesturing wildly with his hand like he usually did. 

Marius was looking through his notes for Dionysus and only half paying attention, but he took note of Dionysus’ troublesome word choice as he said, “Is that right?” 

“Yeah! An odd, wooden thing,” Marius looked up, hesitant to believe that this was going where he thought it might be as Dionysus continued, “calls itself ‘the Toy Soldier’.” 

Now Marius would have said that he had an excellent bedside manner, but then he would have been lying. As such, he didn't really care about cutting this appointment very short. He knew just what the nymphs were employed to do, and he cared about the Toy Soldier a fair bit more than he would ever care about Dionysus. 

However, he could handle this civilly, he had never known Dionysus to mistreat his nymphs, and he knew that his dear Toy Soldier had trouble standing up for itself. 

“Dionysus, I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut our appointment short, I need to speak to the Toy Soldier,” Marius said, flitting around the room, gathering various odds and ends into his bag. 

Dionysus looked mildly amused as if the concept of his therapist just walking out of an appointment was a ridiculous concept. Doctor von Raum was usually a doctor of the highest caliber, “And why is that?” 

Marius stopped suddenly and turned around and narrowed his eyes at Dionysus. “I don't like your _tone_ , it can explain to you if it wants to, I just need to talk to it.” 

Dionysus was taken aback, not only that, he was _scared_. He truly believed that if he pushed the subject any further that Marius would _hurt_ him. And he was right to be worried, this was no laughing matter to Marius, and he would have zero qualms with killing him, had Dionysus not been his only way to actually _find_ the Toy Soldier. 

“O-Okay Doctor, okay..” 

“Good! Can you take me to it?” Marius asked, his cheerful demeanor returning in a way that was all too unsettling to Dionysus. 

“S-Sure, sure,” he said, running his hand through his hair, the adrenaline fading from his veins making his hands shake slightly (Nevermind that most of what kept him ‘young’ was a concoction of adrenaline and other chemicals). 

“Well? Don't you think we ought to get going then hmm?” Marius said, a tad of what had frightened Dionysus so bad creeping back into his voice. 

“Right, yes, yes,” Dionysus said, grabbing his bag and hurrying out the door, with Marius following jauntily behind him. 

They got to the Toy Soldiers apartment easily enough, Dionysus had to search for its address in his work tablet for an uncomfortably long time while Marius made threatening small talk. The car pulled up to a rather lavish apartment complex and Dionysus told Marius which apartment it was in. 

“Lovely! Don't go anywhere, I might be a while,” Marius said cheerfully as he waved to Dionysus through the window. 

The walk to the Toy Soldiers apartment wasn't a long one, but to Marius, it felt like forever. He tried to walk like he knew what he was doing, but he was quite anxious. Back in his office, it had seemed so simple. The Toy Soldier might be in trouble, so he would go help it. Simple as that! But it was not as simple as that. Now, when he was so close, and he actually had to think of what to do he did not know what to do. 

He pondered this as he walked, and tried to shove down his bubbling panic, _von Raum! Get it together! The Toy Soldier needs you, now think_. He hoped, god he hoped, that it was all fine, and the Toy Soldier was okay and nothing needed to be done at all, and he could just enjoy a nice cup of tea with the Soldier. 

But wishful thinking never helped anyone and he needed a plan for what he would do if the Toy Soldier _did_ need help. After several more steps up the stairs, he had formulated a plan that went something like this: If the Toy Soldier received any Orders that it didn't like, Marius would nullify them with Orders of his own, and kill Dionysus immediately. If the Toy Soldier was doing good and hadn’t received any Orders it didn't like, ask it's permission to explain it's compulsion to follow Orders to Dionysus. Then threaten Dionysus with something worse than death, worse than eternity in the Acheron, should he fail to respect the Toy Soldier. 

This was a plan that Marius quite liked, so the confidence in his steps was feeling a great deal more real as he walked up to the Toy Soldiers door. He faced the door and took a few moments to compose himself before he knocked. 

There was silence from behind the door, which wasn’t unexpected, and then the door opened. The Toy Soldier stood there, wearing it's familiar uniform, “Doctor von Raum!!” it exclaimed. 

“Toy Soldier!” Marius exclaimed right back because hell had he missed it. 

“Can I Hug You Please?” it had missed all of the Mechanisms every so much, and it longed to see them again, but it was a big City. Besides, it was busy hanging out with its new friends to really _look_ for the Mechanisms. 

Marius’ eyes widened slightly and he smiled, “Yeah!” and the Toy Soldier was hugging him, it had managed to move fast enough that he didn't see it move, there was just a flurry of red and black he was suddenly embraced in a familiar hug. It's wooden arms squeezed his shoulders tight and Marius was finding it a little difficult to hug the Toy Soldier back, but he didn't mind, he had missed this. 

The Toy Soldier let go of Marius far too soon for his tastes, but he supposed that there was no rush, and he was here for a reason. 

“Can I come in? I wanna talk to you about something important,” Marius said, looking at the Toy Soldier for any sign that it might know what Marius wants to discuss, its faces didn't change (of course it didn't), but even so, there was no recognition in its voice when it spoke, just mild concern. 

“Of Course You Can Come In Marius,” it stepped aside to allow Marius entrance into it's home. 

In a lot of ways, it's apartment was very familiar, Marius could see the clear inspiration it had taken from the Aurora, and in that he could see the touch of all of the Mechanisms. The touch of Raph in the airy way the room was arranged, a bit of Jonny in the rustic sense from some of the decor. He even recognized a little of himself in how the Toy Soldier had a bag packed by the door, which was a habit from his childhood he still held onto. 

The Toy Soldier gestured to a couch in the corner of the room, “I’ll Make Us A Spot Of Tea!” Marius nodded and wandered over to go sit down while the Soldier rushed into the kitchen. It appeared after a few minutes, it was carrying a tray set with all the fixings for tea time. It set the tray on the table in front of them and sat next to Marius on the couch, and it angled itself so that it could look at him easily. “What Did You Want To Talk About?” 

Marius cleared his throat and took a few seconds to get his thoughts in order before he spoke, “So, you’re a nymph right?” 

“I Quite Am!” 

“And that includes… sexual favors… for you?” Marius said, internally cringing at how unsure he sounded. 

“Sometimes!” 

Marius sucked in a breath, cold fear spiking in his stomach, but he could stay calm, he had to stay calm, “Right, and have you been Ordered to do anything you didn't want to do?” he asked, dreading what the answer might be. 

The Toy Soldier gave a small laugh, “Oh Goodness No! Dionysus Is The Highest Ranking Boss I Have And He Said, ‘Never Do Anything You Aren't Comfortable With’ And Besides That, All The Patrons Are Very Respectful!” 

Marius sighed a little in relief, but he still had questions, “Good, good, and you could quit if you wanted to?” 

“I Could, Yes!” 

“But you _want_ to be a nymph for yourself right?” 

The Toy Soldier took a few moments to consider this, and as it pretended to sip its tea Marius was so, _so_ proud of it. When they had first started their sessions it had been unable to apply the concept of ‘wanting something for yourself’ onto itself without ‘pretending’ to burst into tears. They had come so far. 

TS set it's cup down and said, “I Think I Do! I Was Given Options And This Is What I Chose,” 

That calmed Marius’ nerves a lot and his hand shook with relief as he lifted his cup to his lips, “Okay, I’m really glad you're okay, dear.” and then his best-case scenario plan occurred to him, “Do you mind if I explain to Dionysus your whole Orders Thing? I want to make sure that you’re never mistreated.” 

The Toy Soldier nodded thoughtfully, “Yes, Yes I'm Okay With That, How Do You Know Dionysus?” 

Marius laughed, feeling lighthearted enough for the first time since he had stepped foot into this apartment, “You won't believe this; I'm his _therapist_.” 

The Toy Soldier laughed at that and pretty soon they were both laughing uncontrollably, it wasn't even that funny, but it had just been so long since they’ve seen each other that _something_ was going to set them off. 

It was actually quite a pleasant visit after that conversation, they finished tea and caught up over a game of checkers. 

And when, at last Marius had to bid farewell. Marius stood in front of the Toy Soldier and offered his hand. He hoped that the Toy Soldier would allow him to kiss its hand. As it turned out, the Soldier had assumed that it would have the pleasure of kissing his hand. And tragically, in each of their excitement they didn't notice the strange way that their hands were connected as they bent at the waist, trying to kiss the others' knuckles. 

They didn't notice anything was awry, in fact, until their heads collided in an accidentally painful (for Marius) display of love. 


	2. Ashes O'Reilly

Ashes (or Hades, as they were now known) was very much looking forward to their meeting with Dionysus. They had been an Olympian for a few decades at this point and had only really met with Poisiden and Zeus, but they were looking to expand their business and the deal that Dionysus had proposed was quite convincing. 

In their correspondence, he had invited them to a meeting at a club that he owned. They had done their own research on the place, and it seemed to be a quite high class establishment. Some people that worked for Ashes actually frequented the place, saying that the cooks made for good food and the nymphs for good company. 

They made their way to the club, it was on one of the higher levels and Ashes was enjoying the sun on their face. They were greeted at the door by a pair of handsomely dressed doormen, one of them took their hat and coat before gesturing them inside. They were hit by the sudden dim of the room they found themselves in. 

Now, that's not to say that it wasn't a luxurious place, it very much was. There were golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and every wall was covered in golden candles, casting the room in gently flickering light. The satin chairs and sofas dotted around the room dripped with decadence and the gentle bubble of speech drifted around the room. 

Ashes was led to a couch in the center of the room by a soft spoken nymph and was met by who they presumed to be Dionysus. 

He took their hand in his and brought it to his lips, “Hades, so lovely to have you here.” They both sat down and Ashes chuckled.

“It's lovely to be here,” and then, “shall we get down to business?” 

“I think that we shall, dear Hades,” Dionysus said. 

The pair spent the better part of a half hour discussing the specifics of their deal. Some nymphs had brought them both drinks, and Ashes was almost done with theirs when Dionysus stood up.

“Sorry, you’ll have to excuse me for a second, darling. Feel free to help yourself to some company, only the best nymphs are working tonight.” and with a conspiratorial wink he walked languidly away. Ashes gave a small laugh into their now empty glass. A tray appeared in their periphery and they set their glass on it, muttering their thanks while sweeping a gaze around the room. 

“You Are Very Welcome, Mx. Hades!” Ashes’ eyes widened at the familiar voice and they spun their head around to look at the person who had taken their glass. They looked up at the lavishly dressed Toy Soldier, and for a moment they were very confused indeed.

_What was it doing here? Was it okay? Did it want to be here?_ That last thought in particular had them very worried. Ashes was a reasonable person, they weren't going to over react; they were just going to ask the Soldier some questions and then depending on what it said they would either do nothing, or burn Dionysus and everything he loved to the _ground_.

“Dollface, mind coming here when you get a second?” It set down it's tray and sat down on Ashes lap, which _didn't_ make Ashes blush like the first time it had done that, _absolutely not_ that would be ridiculous they were a god now.

“I Have A Second Right Now, Mx. Hades!” Ashes raised an eyebrow and smiled, they had missed it after all.

“You can call me Ashes if you want to, TS.”

The Toy Soldier hummed noncommitly and said, “I'm Afraid Not, Mx. Hades, Direct Orders From Mr. Dionysus To ‘Treat Hades With The Utmost Respect’ And That Includes Proper Address.” 

Ashes bit their cheek, that didn't bode well for their hope of the Toy Soldier _wanting_ to be a nymph, but they kissed it's cheek and said, “Dear, you _know_ I'm not actually ‘Hades’.”

It seemed to consider this and it nodded, “Alright Then, I Suppose You're Right, Anywho, Why Did You Call Me Over Here, Old Sport? Not That I'm Complaining, I Have Missed You So!” 

Ashes’ face hardened and they took a few moments to get their thoughts in order, “Ah yes, how did you come to work here, darling? Also, can I touch your waist?” They had learned that consent was a top priority when doing just about anything with the Toy Soldier, not that it would admit that itself. 

At any rate, the Soldier nodded enthusiastically and moved Ashes’ hands to it's waist, “Well, Sir Dionysus Bought Me About Twenty Years Ago, And I've Worked For Him For Most Of That Time!” 

Ashes’ mouth thinned and their grip on the Toy Soldiers waist tightened slightly in protectiveness.

“Sorry love, did you say he _bought_ you?” 

Despite being made of wood, it seemed to tense and rushed to reassure Ashes, “No Ashes Don't Worry! When He Bought Me He Thought I Was Just A Robot! Now He Knows That Im R-” it cut itself off and took a second to reconsider it's phrasing, “He Knows That I Am A Sentient Thing.” 

This did not reassure Ashes all that much, “Okay, but do you _want_ to be here? Could you leave?” 

The Toy Soldier nodded, “Oh Yes, Doctor Marius Made Sure Of That, But It's Ever So Fun Being A Nymph!” 

It seemed completely genuine, but Ashes made a mental note to check in on it every once in a while, “Well, alright,” They saw Dionysus walking towards them over the Soldiers shoulder, they kissed it on the cheek, “I have a previous engagement, my dear, but I'll find you after,” they looked away, “I've really missed you.”

The Toy Soldier stood up, “I've Missed You Too!” it brought their hand to it's lips before it walked away.


	3. Raphaella la Cognizi

Raphaella la Cognizi was doing amazingly without associating with the Olympians, _thank you very much_. She was more than happy to take advantage of the endless supply of test subjects in the City, but the Olympians seemed like more trouble than they were worth to her. 

This is why she was _displeased_ , to say the least when she finds out that _Dionysus_ , of all people, was asking after her. Apparently ‘the Winged Scientist’ had gained quite the reputation among the elites of the City, anyone who lived as long as she had was bound to get on their radar. Private investigators, police, and government organizations alike had tried and failed to get any information on her.

All of this aside, Raph had managed to avoid confronting the Olympians, a miraculous feat, considering how long she had lived in the City. Well, she had avoided confronting them until now, as it were. 

Raphaella stood in the doorway of her grand laboratory, and in front of her stood a lavishly dressed man, Dionysus. She crossed her arms and stared down at him silently, unimpressed with the vain show of wealth in his clothing and jewelry. 

“Miss la Cognizi?” Dionysus started, clearly unsure of himself.

Raph rolled her eyes, “It's ‘Doctor’ la Cognizi, actually,” Dionysus started to hurriedly apologize, but she cut him off, “what do you want?”

“Ah, yes, well, I was hoping I could get your help with something, Doctor la Cognizi,” Dionysus said, looking up at Raph, sounding far more optimistic than he had any right to. 

Despite her better judgment, Raph could feel those familiar stirrings of scientific curiosity, and before she could stop herself, she gestured Dionysus into her lab.

Dionysus continued, “Well, the clockwork of one of my nymph needs some repairs, and it says that you’re ‘the only one on this planet who can fix it’.” The Minos that he had bought it from had died and Doctor la Cognizi was his best bet. 

“The Toy Soldier?” Raph asked, she knew that Nastya was the one that usually did repairs for it and she was off-planet galavanting with Ivy and Aurora. She just didn't know why it didn't just find her itself, although she supposed she had made herself rather scarce…  
“Yes..” Dionysus said, clearly surprised that Raph knew what he was talking about, “how do you know the Soldier?”

Raphaella smiled wistfully, for all her self proclaimed love of solitude, she had missed all of the Mechanisms dearly, “We usually live together,” Dionysus raised an eyebrow, and he opened his mouth, clearly about to ask questions that Raph didn't feel like answering at that very second, so she cut him off with a wave and said, “We had better be going, TS needs help.”

Dionysus smiled in amusement, “Right, well if you'll just follow me, Doctor, we can be on our way,” He walked out of the lab and led Raph to the limo he had taken there. 

Raph hadn’t had much of a chance to take in the culture of the City, far preferring to stay in her lab, but this meant that she had never heard most of the terms that the people in the City used. 

“So what's a ‘nymph’ anyway,” Raph asked once they were on their way. More as a way to fill the silence than out of genuine interest to hear Dionysus talk more, but there was no reason to tell him that. 

Dionysus smirked in a way that made Raph suddenly more interested and highly suspicious, “The nymphs are paid to be very nice to the patrons of my clubs.” Raph’s eyes narrowed and she found herself reaching for a scalpel as she raised an eyebrow, “No need to worry, good doctor, some of its other friends have made very sure that I treat the lovely Toy Soldier right. Heard of Marius von Raum?”

Raph nodded, she may not trust Marius as a healthcare professional, but she did trust him to take care of those he cared about, “Okay..” she said, just as the limo slowed. 

“Lovely! We’re here Doctor la Cognizi, if you'll follow me?” She nodded and followed him into the building that was decidedly _not_ a club, which she was immensely grateful for. It seemed more like a hospital to her, but she couldn't read the Spreek on the side of the building. They entered and almost immediately pointed down a hallway, “It's in the first room on the right, I'll leave you to it, Doctor! Tah-Tah!” Dionysus said jauntily as he walked in the opposite direction.

Raphaella rushed into the room, excitement at seeing her partner again momentarily overcoming her medical maturity. The Toy Soldier was sitting there, swinging its feet gently, and it looked, well, not bored, but disengaged. 

That is, until it heard Raph burst through the door, “Doctor La Cognizi!! I'm Delighted To See You!”

“I'm happy to see you too!” Raph said, bouncing on her feet, “What's the problem with your clockwork, my love?” Raph would have very much enjoyed hugging the Toy Soldier, however, she was still a professional and she didn't want to risk injuring her patient more.

“The Clockwork In My Hand Is Just Going A Little Funny!”

Raph grinned and threw her arms around the wooden shoulders of the Toy Soldier and she drew it closer to her, careful not to damage it's hand further. 

The Toy Soldier was shocked into silence for a few seconds until it made a noise of pure happiness and wrapped an arm tightly around Raphaella’s waist, “I’ve Missed You, Songbird!” it exclaimed. Its voice was muffled around Raph’s wings, Raph just laughed into the Toy Soldiers neck and nodded happily. 

Raph stepped back and said, “Alright babe, can I see your hand?” The Toy Soldier nodded enthusiastically and held out its hand for her to examine.

She got a small toolkit out of her pocket and set it on the table by the cot before taking its hand in hers. She gently pried a thin panel of wood away from its palm to reveal the intricate clockwork of her hand. She drew in a breath, the beauty of the shining gears and wires never failed to awe her. 

She spotted the problem almost immediately, something was stopping the gears, she had to squint to see it but it was there, concealed by some of the gears. She furrowed her brow and said, “I'm going to have to remove a few gears, is that alright dearest?”

“Right-O Raphaella!” the Toy Soldier said, its voice was still filled with a joy that made Raphs heart flutter. 

The repairs took just over an hour, without Raphaella fussing over every gear she had to move it probably would have taken less, but neither of them wanted that. 

“Is that okay, honey?” she would say, genuine concern for her beloved in her voice, and when it would confirm that it was doing okay she would smile, kiss its cheek, and say, “Good.”

This went on until, at last, Raph replaced the wooden panel and the Toy Soldier was quite flustered.

“There you go, babe! All done!”

“Oh Thank You Ever So Much, My Dear Girl!” The Toy Soldier exclaimed and hopped off of the cot to give Raph a kiss on the cheek.

“Of course TS!” Raph said, clapping her hands in excitement, “Oh! And I've been meaning to ask; how are you finding being a nymph?” she said, concern bubbling up in her mind.

“I've Found It Lovely!” it sounded as genuine as it did most of the time.

“That's great honey!” Raph nudged the Toy Soldier with her elbow playfully, and switched her tone to a more flirty one, “I'll have to come visit you sometime,”

The Soldier laughed and adopted her tone, “Oh You Simply _Must_.”


	4. Drumbot Brian

Being an oracle was all well and good, but Brian did miss his friends. Specifically, he missed the Toy Soldier. He hadn't seen it since it had saluted him and marched down one of the City’s many streets. That had been a few hundred years ago, and he missed his friend terribly. So he decided to find it and say hello.

There was a Mechanism he found himself unable to ignore and he was certain that they would know where the Toy Soldier had gotten to. Ashes had made quite the impression, going by the name ‘Hades’ they had built up quite the crime empire. However, he didn't exactly have a way to contact the most nefarius crime boss on the planet, but he figured that killing some of the people that _worked_ for them would be a good enough way to earn council with them. Certainly getting to see his dear friend justified killing a few murders and thieves?

And in the end it worked, he was caught by a couple women in black suits on his way home one day and eventually deposited on the ground in front of an imposing black throne. Typical Ashes. The clanging of brass rang around the room for a few seconds and Brain was exceedingly aware of Ashes staring down at him. Despite literal eons of living with them that gaze never got less unsettling.

At last they spoke, trying to make it seem like they actually cared about the people that worked for them, “Drumbot.”

“Ashes.”

“Why did you kill my people?” They said, trying their hardest to keep the smirk out of their voice as they stared at Brian.

It was silent for a few seconds and then they both burst out in laughter, after they had settled down Brian spoke, “I just wanted to ask you if you knew where the Toy Soldier was?”

They nodded and said, “Of course. I can't believe you haven't encountered it at this point, but let me give you it's work address,” Ashes smiled to themselves, they doubted that Brian would recognize the address and they were so excited to see his inevitably hilarious reaction. Dionysus could surely be convinced to let them watch the cameras in his club.

They handed him a slip of paper with an address on it, and as expected, his face showed zero recognition when he looked at it. 

“Thanks, Ashes,” Brian said, looking at the ground, and when he looked back up Ashes was only a few feet in front of him, “woah, okay,” he took a step backwards in surprise and Ashes feigned offense.

“What? Is it so much to ask for you to give your partner a hug?” they said, crossing their arms and smirking at Brian, who scoffed and smiled at he hugged Ashes. 

“I'll be off now, bye Ashes,” Brian was escorted out by Ashes and on his way, _at last_ , to see the Toy Soldier.

Now, Brian _knew_ what a nymph _was_ , that came with interacting with the Olympians, but he had never met one, nor had he been in the clubs where they worked. This is why he wasn't aware he was visiting one until he stepped through the door. He walked in, panicked, walked back out and checked the address before walking back in, more tentatively, this time.

The woman who had been standing by the door smiled at him as he walked back in, “Hey sugar, decided to join us?” 

Brian could feel the metal on his face heat up slightly and he stammered, “Uh, yeah, d-does the Toy Soldier work here..?” 

The lady grinned and said “Oh you lookin to see the Soldier?” 

Brian shook his head and rushed to explain, “Oh no! N-not like that! We jus-” he was cut off by a wave of her hand and he was starting to regret not asking Ashes _where_ the Toy Soldier worked.

“Head down that hallway and it's the second door on the left, have fun darlin!” Brian hid his hot face in his hands and walked down the hallway, arguing with her was only serving to make him more embarrassed. He got to the aforementioned door and stood there for a moment, stuck between wanting to regain his composure and wanting to see the Toy Soldier again. In the end, he entered the room far before the heat in his face had fully subsided.

He opened the door and his face was immediately hotter than it had been in a while.

Brian could swear his face nearly combusted when he saw the Toy Soldier. For lack of a better word, it looked scandalous. It was languidly leaning against the wall, it was pretending to smoke a cigarette out of a cigarette holder, a satin robe hanging off it's wooden form. 

Brian groaned in embarrassment and covered his face with his hands before falling face first onto the couch in the back of the room. His face was glowing red at this point, and it was nothing short of a miracle that the fabird of the sofa didn't catch fire then and there.

“Mister Drumbot!!! What A Pleasant Surprise!” the Toy Soldier exclaimed, sitting down next to Brian.

Brian spoke from behind his hands, “Hello Toy Soldier,” it was silent for a few seconds and Brian felt like he had his embarrassment under control so he sat up at last. 

“Your Face Appears Quite Hot, Brian,” the Toy Soldier said, and although it was trying to project an air of naivety, it had never been the best liar and the tone of its voice made it glaringly obvious that it was poking fun at Brian. 

Brian smiled a bit and nodded, “Well yeah, I didn't know that this was where you worked dear,” 

“Oh! How _Did_ You Find Out Where I Worked?” The Toy Soldier asked, clearly perplexed, although it didn't seem to mind that he had just showed up without warning. 

They were sitting side by side on the couch, and Brian decided that he wanted to lay on the Soldiers lap, “I'll tell you, my heart, but can I please lay on your lap?” 

The Toy Soldier pretended to gasp in delight and exclaimed, “I'd Love Nothing More, Old Sport!” and at that, Brian felt his face heat up slightly as he smiled gently and lied down on his partners lap. He closed his eyes and his heart fluttered slightly as he felt wooden fingers run through his ‘hair’ (in reality, his ‘hair’ was fine brass wire, but there was no reason to think about that right now).

Brian humed contentedly “Ashes gave me this address, I figured they would have it, and I really wanted to see you again.” 

“Oh You Wanted To See.. Me?” the way that the Toy Soldier brushed it's hands through Brian's hair didn't change at all but it sounded mildly perplexed as if it had trouble imagining him actually _wanting_ to pay it a visit.

Brian opened his eyes, and looked up at the Soldier in concern, he considered the ethics of asking the Toy Soldier to flip his switch so that he couldn't lie to it when he told it that _yes, he did actually care about it and genuinely want to spend time with it_.

“TS, I’m gonna tell you something, if you think I might be lying I am fine with you flipping my switch, okay?” 

The Toy Soldier looked surprisingly startled for something whose expression literally cannot change, “Okay Dearest, But I Trust You,”

Brian was taken aback by the trust, but smiled and said, “I care for you and I wanted to come see you because I missed you.”

The Toy Soldier sat stock still for a few seconds, seemingly trying to process. Brian sat silently for a few seconds, anxiously waiting for a response, and before he could really comprehend what was happening, he was being hugged by the Toy Soldier. 

“Thank You Dearest!” The Toy Soldier exclaimed, and the adoration in its voice made Brians heart soar. “I Care For You Too!” 

Brian wrapped his arms tightly around the Toy Soldier and he thought that this was worth the embarrassment.


	5. Gunpowder Tim

Surprisingly, Tim was the first Mechanism that sought out the Toy Soldier out of the blue, he had no particular reason to go looking for it other than that he missed spending time with it, and he thought that looking for it without any help would be a good way to waste a few years. 

He did eventually find it. It had been three years since he first started this little endeavor and he walked into a bar in one of the upper levels. He hadn't _really_ expected it to be there and pretending that he might find it there was really a thinly veiled excuse to grab a drink.

His mechanism was basically the only thing keeping him on his feet, he hasn't slept since he’d started this whole project and he was starting to feel it. He was dead on his feet as he sat down at the bar, and he didn't really take stock of his surroundings. 

He wasn't _quite_ tired of his endless search for the Toy Soldier, but it was getting to the point where he might want to take a break. Sure, he was looking forward to the euphoria of finally completing something he set his mind to, and he _really_ missed the Toy Soldier, but there was only so much ceaseless searching a person could take. Even if that person happened to be a bored immortal who didn't _technically_ need to sleep. 

Vaguely, he acknowledged that another person sat down next to him at the bar and then, “Hello Tim!” Tim's head shot up because _no way was the Toy Soldier here_. And yet, it evidently was. 

“Toy Soldier?” Tim said, rubbing his eyes, “What are you doing here?”

The Soldier snapped a sharp salute and said, “I Work Here Old Sport.”

In his sleep-deprived state, Tim hadn't looked all that close at the bar that he had entered, “You're a bartender..?”

The Toy Soldier was going to respond, but it was just then their conversation was interrupted by a lady in a red suit, “Hey dollface, you working?” Tim, incorrectly, assumed that she was talking to him, and opened his mouth to reply.

But he was cut off by the Toy Soldier, “Sorry, Sweetheart, I’m Busy At The Moment!” And as the lady nodded and walked away something clicked in Tim's mind.

“Ohhh, you're a nymph?” Tim said, bringing his bottle to his lips. The Toy Soldier nodded, “Are you alright?”

“Oh Yes! Are You? You Look Bloody Awful!” It sounded slightly concerned as it waited for Tim to respond.

Tim laughed slightly, he didn't take it personally because he knew he _did_ look pretty awful, “Yeah I’m okay, just haven't slept in a few years.”

The Toy Soldier pretended to gasp in horror, “Tim! You Must Come With Me, We Shall Sleep, Old Chap!” 

Tim almost started to argue, but he had _technically_ accomplished his goal of finding the Toy Soldier, and he _had_ said that he would sleep after he found it. He nodded softly and said, “Yeah okay,” and suddenly he was being carried through the bar. No matter how many times he learned his lesson, he always underestimated how strong the Toy Soldier was, but Tim was too tired to react with much more than a startled yelp as the Soldier picked him up in bridal style. 

He buried his face in the Toy Soldier's neck, the familiar smell of linden wood and the feeling of being absolutely safe almost put him to sleep then and there. It only took a few minutes until they were out of the bar and into somewhere much quieter. Tim looked around with bleary eyes and he saw that they were in a very nice looking hallway. He glanced up at the Toy Soldier.

“Not To Worry Tim! We’re Just Going Somewhere More Comfortable To Sleep, It Will Be Most Spiffing!” The Soldier said, talking in a far more hushed tone than it usually did.

Tim hummed his approval into the wooden neck of the Toy Soldier, who hummed back happily. 

And then Tim found himself being placed gently into the softest bed he’s been in since he lived on Earth. 

The Toy Soldier looked down at Tim in what it would have called ‘pretend adoration’ but had anyone else been in the room they would have been able to tell you that the adoration it felt was just about the most real thing in that room. Tim made a noise of soft content as he settled into the bed and the Soldier just about melted.

“Might I Join You?” it asked, twisting the sleeves of its shirt in minor anxiety that he would say no.

But Tim just smiled and nodded, “Mhm!” 

The Soldier's face couldn't change, but it's smile felt so very genuine in that moment. It climbed into bed next to Tim and almost as soon as it layed down Tim rolled over and wrapped his arms around it's stiff torso. 

Tim was asleep as soon as TS ran it's fingers through his hair.

He was so dead-tired that he slept for nearly two weeks, clinging to the Toy Soldier the whole time, and so what if the Toy Soldier had work? Being with Tim was more important than Dionysus would ever be.


	6. Jonny d'Ville

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a joke chapter because i couldnt think of anything for jonnys chapter :(

If you had asked Jonny d’Ville what he was doing on that street in the City he would have said that he was just looking for a good time. If you had asked anyone else, however, they would have said that he was continuing the _literal genocide_ that had been his main focus for hundreds of years at that point. 

No one did ask him, however, and he didn't get the chance to ask anyone else either, as he shot before speaking most of the time. Or at least he tried to. He was leaning against a wall in an alley, lazily bringing a bottle to his lips, when he heard a rhythmic marching from down the road. He grinned and dropped the bottle, neither he nor the person marching seemed to take notice of the glass shattering. 

He stumbled out of the alley and shot blindly down the street, cackling madly and waiting for the familiar cry of pain. What he did not expect was the familiar voice that rang out through the empty street.

“Jonny That Was Very Rude!” The Toy Soldier admonished, examining the hole in its arm that was quickly healing. It straightened it's posture and brushed off its coat before continuing to walk down the road. 

Jonny was momentarily shocked by the complete surprise of seeing the Toy Soldier, but then he scowled a bit and ran to meet it. 

“TS what are you doing here?” he asked, more than slightly confused as to why it was here of all places.

“I'm Going To A Job, And If I Dawdle Here Any Longer I'll Be Late!”

Jonny rolled his eyes and raised his hands in mock surrender, “Oh god forbid mx. Soldier is late to its job,” 

The Toy Soldier nodded and kept walking, and it wasn't until it was a fair few yards ahead of him that it occurred to him that it hadn't told him _what_ its job was. So he yelled after it.

“What's your job?” but either it didn't hear him or it didn't feel like answering because it just kept marching. Jonny shrugged and walked in the other direction.

Later, while he was having brunch with Ashes, Raphaella, and Tim, he remembered the incident and made up his mind to find out. 

“Do either of you know what the Toy Soldier does for work?” his tone was purely curious but as soon as he said it they all stifled a laugh.

“What?!” Jonny said, immediately becoming defensive.

“Nothing, nothing,” Ashes said, smiling, “Yeah we all know what it does,” Tim and Raph nodded, each not even attempting to hide nefarious grins.

“Well?” Jonny said, irritation clear on his face.

“It's a nymph.” 

Jonny raised his eyebrow at them, “ _Really?_ ” that was, hard to believe, to say the least, but all three of them nodded and seemed completely serious, “Huh, do the others know?”

“Oh yeah they do,” Raph said, waving away the question.

“Wait, all of you know? Everyone? _Why am I always the last to know things?_ ” Jonny scowled, glaring at the rest of the table.

Raph raised her hand, “Because of your lack of scientific curiosity?”

Ashes laughed and said, “No, no it’s just because he's a dumbass.”

Jonny was about to defend himself when Tim said, “Yeah I agree with Ashes, you're a massive dumbass.”

He crossed his arms and huffed, “Fuck all y’all!”

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are appreciated!


End file.
